Monster Island (actually a peninsula)*

Pearls of witticism from 'Bo the Blogger: Kushibo's Korea blog... Kushibo-e Kibun... Now with Less kimchi, more nunchi. Random thoughts and commentary (and indiscernibly opaque humor) about selected social, political, economic, and health-related issues of the day affecting "foreans," Koreans, Korea and East Asia, along with the US, especially Hawaii, Orange County and the rest of California, plus anything else that is deemed worthy of discussion. Forza Corea!

Monday, November 9, 2009

Korea news links for November 9, 2009: Dammed pools and damned fools

There's sixty percent more news than this time 24 hours ago. At this rate, we'll have full news recovery by the end of the fourth quarter. Depending on your perspective, the big news could be that over four thousand Koreans, including the architect of South Korea's economic miracle, are now on a pro-Japanese collaborator sh¡t list that, depending on your point of view, is or is not the agenda-driven work of leftist agitators (oh, I will never tire of using that link). I will have more on that later.

We have Kim Jong-il turning on the television, not liking what he sees, and then firing one of the highest-ranking civilians in his government. And you thought Simon Cowell was scary.

And speaking of scary, if you're an environmentalist you may not be happy that the Four Rivers Project has gotten the green light (ha ha, get it? Green) and construction/deconstruction begins on Tuesday, starting with dammed pools. It's sort of interesting that as great builders of dams like the US are beginning to rethink grand dams of yesteryear — those along the Colorado River, Hetch-Hetchy, etc. — places like South Korea and China (Three Rivers Gorge) are running headlong into a golden era of dam-building. We can expect the Lee Administration to be some busy beavers for the next three years. More on this also in a later post. In the meantime, enjoy the subliminal hint of environmental purity of the birds flying by a space-agey dam in the artist's rendition below.

After key environmental hurdle is passed, Ministry of Land, Transport, and Maritime Affairs says "Four Rivers Project" will kick off Tuesday with construction of fifteen dammed pools (Yonhap, Korea Times, Joongang Daily)
South Korean scholars release controversial 3000-page volume listing 4389 Koreans considered to be pro-Japanese collaborators, including assassinated former President Park Chunghee (Yonhap, Korea Times, Korea Herald, Joongang Daily)
An angry Kim Jong-il reportedly fires North Korea's top broadcaster after seeing unprecedented advertisements for beer and other local products (Korea Times, Korea Herald, Joongang Daily)
South Korean steelmakers plan to spend 18.71 trillion won ($16.02 billion) over next three years in capital investments to reduce greenhouse gases and energy consumption (Reuters)
Bipartisan group of US members of Congress urges US President Obama to expedite ROK-US free-trade agreement (Korea Herald, Joongang Daily, Donga Ilbo)
South Korean golfer Song Bobae wins US LPGA Tour Mizuno Classic in Shima, Japan, with four-under-par 68 (AFP, AP via WaPo, Yonhap)US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leaves for trip to China, Japan, and South Korea that will include shoring up support in dealing with North Korea (AP via WaPo)
About 16,000 FKTU labor unionists continue rally for second day on Sunday (AP via BusinessWeek, Korea Herald)
Study finds that 82% of all American police officers are considered obese by Japanese magazine readers (Asahi Shimbun)

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Ask Kushibo.

My Google/Blogspot data shows that a lot of the 2 million people who have landed on my site (yes, that's the real number) are looking for cultural information on Korea (e.g., “When did Syngman Rhee die?” “What did the Indians bring to the first Chusŏk?’ etc., etc.), as well as practical or historical stuff.

That got me thinking that, hey, I have a master’s degree in Korean studies and a minor in Japanese studies, I’ve lived in Seoul far longer than most foreans my age (whether they're kyopo or non-kyopo), I teach introductory courses on Korea and its cultural trappings and history, so why not offer a free service where I attempt to answer people’s questions, point them in the direction of where they can get them answered, and/or offer my regulars (that’s you!) a chance to take a stab at some of this stuff, too.

So if there’s something you’d like to know from a “contrarian scourge,” click on ASK KUSHIBO and just ask a succinct question in the comments section below.

Oh, and play nice. Please don’t make me regret this.

九十五大怪獣란? 쿠시보의 몬스터 아일랜드란?

Pearls of witticism from 'Bo the Blogger: Kushibo's Korea blog... Kushibo-e Kibun...
Now with Less kimchi, more nunchi. Random thoughts and commentary (and indiscernibly opaque humor) about selected social, political, economic, and health-related issues of the day affecting "foreans" ("foreigners" in Korea be they kyopo or non-kyopo), Koreans, Korea and East Asia, along with the US, especially Hawaii, Orange County, and the rest of California, plus anything else that is deemed worthy of discussion. Forza Corea!

* Monster Island (actually a peninsula)

The name of this blog comes from a line in "Lisa on Ice," a beloved episode of The Simpsons, perhaps my all-time favorite television show (even though for several seasons there, it really did suck). Lisa is imagining being sworn in as president, but at the last minute, it is discovered that she failed P.E. (physical education) and she is thus "sentenced to a lifetime of horror" on Monster Island. "Don't worry," the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court confides in her, "It's just a name."

Fast forward to Lisa and other prisoners running in panic through a tropical jungle, chased by Godzilla-like creatures, including a monster turtle and a monster firefly.

"He said it was just a name!" Lisa screams to the man next to her. While he, too, runs for his life, the unidentified man calmly says, "What he meant is that Monster Island is actually a peninsula."

Anyway, I thought in some ways that punchline summed up modern-day Korea in a nutshell. For many people—foreigners and Koreans—the ups and downs and everyday travails of the Republic of Korea make it as precarious as a Monster Island would be (and with the DMZ being the only land border, it really is like an island). But it actually is a peninsula. Okay, it made sense in my head.

So as you can see, despite the hits I get from people looking for Japanese tentacle porn, it has nothing to do with anything salacious as that.

Monster Island (actually a peninsula)*

Monday, November 9, 2009

Korea news links for November 9, 2009: Dammed pools and damned fools

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